Disclaimer: This Indie Film “Just Say Goodbye” was sent to me to view by the writer/producer Layla O’Shea. All comments about the film are 100% my own.
Have you ever had someone to tell you a secret and asked you to promise them that you wouldn’t tell anyone? What if the secret they wanted you to keep was detrimental to their life…? Would you still keep it a secret?
Just Say Goodbye Film is about two teenage best friends Sarah Morin (Katerina Eichenberger) and Jesse Peterson (Max MacKenzie) who have been friends since the age of 6. After the death of his mother, Jesse finds himself growing up feeling a little detached from society, his father is an alcoholic and abuser who wish Jesse would disappear, as looking at him daily reminds him of his mom, who committed suicide.
Jesse begins to wonder, why should he live anyway. No one cares or wants him, but someone does care and that’s Sarah, who fights Jesse’s battles at school as he endures taunts, unwanted fights and bullying from the kids at school, especially one kid by the name of Chase Gibbons (Jesse Walters).
With the constant bullying of Chase, a deceased mom and a dad who could care less about his welfare or wellbeing. Jesse decides the ultimate goal of getting rid of all the pain in his life would be to take his own. A secret he’s kept forever is now a secret shared with his best friend Sarah, who’s struggling to keep Jesse’s secret truly a secret between her or getting someone else involved in order to save her friendship.
What would you do, if Jesse was your Best Friend?
This movie was partly inspired by a true event in writer/producer Layla O’Shea‘s life who had a high school friend to confide in her about his attempted plan to commit suicide during an April vacation which at the time was only a week away!! Layla, who thought it was a joke quickly realized her friend was serious. Not knowing what to do, Layla broke her friend’s trust and got his parents involved in their “secret” conversation.
Secrets can kill. Let’s not keep bullying and depression a secret, speak out now! speaking up can very well save a life.
While her friend was disgusted with her that she betrayed his trust in her, days later after much thought, he embraced her, not saying a word but the hug he gave said it all.
This movie is very powerful and challenges us to think about what’s a good secret to keep and what’s a mind-blowing secret we should tell. With bullying on the rise, we have more teens as well as adults killing themselves daily to get rid of the pain and chokehold of society, but what’s really painful, is the secrets friends, family, co-workers, teachers and etc. may know and don’t SPEAK UP and SPEAK OUT about it.
Long live the days of “What happens in this house, stays in this house” – those are words I heard constantly growing up, from my family as well as my friend’s family around me but what our parents and neighbors fail to realize is what’s not said, can ultimately be a friend or family members demise.
This is a movie of Love, Friendship, Secrets, forgiveness & redemption You’ll have to see it for yourself to see what happens in the end. Did Sarah reveal Jesse’s secret?
Do me a HUGE Favor!! Please share this post and follow Layla O’Shea and find out more about the movie and the cast on the social media outlets below:
- Website: www.JustSayGoodbyeFilm.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/JustSayGoodbyeFilm
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jsgfilm
- Twitter: @JSGFilm
Check It Out! >> Just Say Goodbye is now streaming on Amazon Prime! http://amzn.to/2VZTpuk
Just Say Goodbye is the winner of the Indie Spirit Best Director (Matt Walting) at the Boston International Film Festival. Matt was 18 when he directed this movie, making him the youngest in history to win the award. This movie was also nominated as the Stanley Kubrick Best U.S. Feature Film at the Blow-Up International Arthouse Film Festival in Chicago
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